I was a HUGE fan of Google Plus from its initial introduction and I was one of the many people within my social circle that jumped on board immediately.  We were all a part of the original beta testers and were immediately impressed with this platform.  In the earlier stages of Google plus, there were many that were of the “either or” mentality about social media, either they leave Facebook or try Google Plus. Even with so many doubting the importance of Google plus, there were many within my social circles that knew that Google was on to something.  Many, like myself are still of that mindset.

I had a discussion over a year ago, with a recreational Facebook user that argued how irrelevant Google Plus was and how it would remain so because HE felt as if Facebook would always rule. As a recreational social media user that shared pictures on Facebook two or three times and would log on every 3 months or so, how could he recognize the importance of a platform beyond his own minimal recreational use.  I won’t even go into why anyone NOT living under a rock in Narnia with centaurs would ever minimize a Google platform. With the exception of a few platforms, Google has been known to turn dust into gold.

Although I have always been excited about the possibilities of Google Plus I never thought of it as a platform for casual users. I always thought of Google plus and its extraordinary capabilities for business owners and digital marketers. Honestly I never pictured a person like Mr. Recreational user pounding away and connecting on Google plus. However I did think of digital marketers like myself and other likeminded marketers in my social circles utilizing this as a huge platform to boost their exposure and their clients’ exposure in ways that we have never seen before, even with Facebook.

I am not comparing it to Facebook beyond placing in into the category of Social Media platform.  I’m not minimizing Facebook in anyway, because who could ever minimize a platform that really was a pioneer in the sharing and oversharing world that we live in today. Facebook literally changed HOW we communicate, how much we communicate and even extended into the workplace changing the marketing and advertising fabric of practically EVERY organization in business.  Facebook could NEVER be minimized because they really changed the world and our views of communication and sharing information.

Although Facebook boasts over one billion active users Google plus has the power of the biggest search engine in the world behind it, Google. This is what separates Google plus, as a social media platform, from Facebook. Google is so darn huge that we don’t even use the phrase search engine anymore.  I don’t search, I FREAKIN’ Google. I haven’t searched something since back in the 90’s when those now obscure search engines like; Looksmart, Infoseek and AskJeeves were around. WE ALL FREAKIN’ GOOGLE NOW, we DO NOT search.

Google in all of it’s greatness has been “on to something” since the introduction of Google Plus and they have, in their own Google Greatness kind of way molded this platform into a platform that shouldn’t be ignored.  There have been many subtle changes to Google and Google plus since they pushed the social search platform out to the masses.

Initially Google plus wasn’t much to look at with its small narrow banner and boring look, but the layout has been tweaked a few times to create a much better-looking page. The last few tweaks consisted of the banner change and a full layout change.

There were outward changes to the Google plus platform but most of the changes were behind the scenes with Google and very gradual. These are the changes that will benefit businesses most.

The integration of all Google Services

Uniform sign on

Personalized search results

Google places merging into Google Local

Blogger ability to be shared easily on Google+ Pages

Blogger becoming a much more relevant blogging platform

Google+ and team up with Zagat

Finally, the push toward social search

In essence there has almost been a full integration of all Google Services with Google Plus at most and at the very least these services greatly compliment Google plus.  Any way you look at it, the integration of these services with Google plus creates an avenue in which shared information meets search. SOCIAL SEARCH.

Social Search is something that Wajam tried but never was able to move forward as successfully as Google will. Also Facebook tried to play the social search game with Bing. We all know how that worked out. Besides there really cool TV commercials, no one really gives a poop about Bing because they are really kinda’ sorta’ irrelevant in the search game. Or I should say in the Google Domination Game.

Google plus is the platform, now that it is merging all of the Google services, will be a pioneer and will dominate Social Search. An avenue where social results will play a role in search results. Oh wait, that’s happening now.

Take a look at the graphic below of an image that I posted to Google plus that displayed in Google search results, for a company that I represent in the digital marketing space.

THIS is Social Search, THIS is Google plus and THIS is why you are seriously cheating yourself if you do not have your company page on Google Plus.

If you have any comments, good, bad, ugly or indifferent you can reach me on Google Plus, Twitter and Facebook. Circle Me and Follow me!

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Social Media & Search Marketing: An Optimized Content Strategy

Just a few years ago people were feeling a sense of urgency to get a very basic web presence up and running. Now companies that panicked in creating that very basic website now have bigger issues if they have not moved beyond updating that website.

Organizations not only have to keep up with all of the changes with web creation vs content management systems, they now have to integrate mobile into the mix. With the integration of mobile platforms, organizations must be able to adapt marketing strategies for mobile while keeping up with the many changes that go along with those platforms.

It is a brand new world, that world is fast moving, powerful and can literally fit in your pocket. We are living in a world driven by mobile technology and users that need to have an ongoing source of information all the time and at their fingertips drive this. This is GREAT for people like me that are driven by technology, that have embraced this super quick moving technology but for businesses it can be tough keeping up. Especially if your organization is NOT technology focused.

So, not only do organizations have to adapt to mobile technology they MUST see that the dynamic that pushed the change are the people that are utilizing these technologies. PEOPLE are the driving force behind the change, they consume information differently, and they NEED to have information at their fingertips. So since organization MUST adapt their business strategy to incorporate mobile technology they must also understand that people have also changed. This understanding will help in visualizing the future sales and marketing strategies of their organizations.

At one time people were fine with consuming content by way of traditional sources such as newspapers,  radio, television and other printed materials. NOW there’s a wave of people that have limited interest in those forms of media. These are the people that are driving the super quick change and this is a huge demographic that organizations must adapt their content for and recognize that these people are the population that are driving the change.

Mobile technologies are growing at a quicker rate than any technology in history. Take a look at the infographic below to give you the what, when, how and why of this growth and what you need to do to adapt your organizational structure to capitalize from this growth.

Like many people I know, my memory is not what it used to be, and the ability to choose that word – you know – the one on the tip of your tongue? Well – that’s been even more problematic. Recently, one of the memory problems many people are plagued with startled me. I’ve had problems thinking of the correct word to use for several years… sometimes I will SAY an incorrect word (my brain and my mouth don’t seem to communicate well), but I’ve always been able to TYPE the word I meant if I KNEW which word I wanted to use…. That is until the other day. I was thinking of the word “search” and had every intention of typing the word “search”, but ended up typing the word “shert”. You may think it was just a typographic error. Not so – when I’m typing something wrong – I can see I’m typing it incorrectly as I type so I backspace and retype until it’s correct. I typed the word “shert” for the word “search” three times.

What’s it called?

There is a term for this inability to retrieve the correct word from your mind and it’s called Aphasia. There are different types of Aphasia including expressive aphasia, receptive aphasia, conduction aphasia, anomic aphasia, global aphasia and primary progressive aphasias. They are generally classified as either non-fluent or fluent. Specific symptoms can vary greatly; however the commonly shared symptom is an impaired ability to use language. The severity of aphasia symptoms can range from very mild to very severe. When there is almost total impairment of all the language modalities (i.e., speaking, writing, reading, listening) the condition is referred to as global aphasia.

The most frequent cause of aphasia is a stroke (but, one can have a stroke without acquiring aphasia). It can also result from head injury, cerebral tumor or other neurological causes. Consequently, the onset is usually sudden, although rare cases of progressive aphasia in adults and childhood / developmental aphasia have been documented.

Aphasia is actually more prevalent than Parkinson’s disease. It has been estimated that one million Americans or 1 in 250 people have acquired aphasia. About 2/3 of these are the result of strokes and 1/3 are head injured persons.

Can you recover?

Approximately half of those who initially show symptoms of aphasia recover completely within the first few hours or days. This is known as transient aphasia. If the symptoms of aphasia persist beyond the first 2-3 months after a stroke, a complete recovery is unlikely. Increased functioning is usually achieved through spontaneous recovery and speech therapy. Recovery is a slow process that usually requires a minimum of a year of treatment including helping the individual and family understand and adjust to long term deficits.

If you think you have Aphasia, definitely go to your doctor and be tested – I know I am! To learn more about Aphasia, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphasia or http://www.webmd.com/brain/aphasia-causes-symptoms-types-treatments

Digital Marketing will be used to some degree for practically every marketing campaign moving forward. Whether we go with a campaign that includes video, slides or social media channels, digital marketing now is a huge aspect of marketing now.  One of the most important things we can do when deciding which digital marketing channel that we utilize is deciding which platform(s) may target our audience best. This is becoming increasingly more important with so many digital marketing channels available now.

If we want to be successful in our Digital Market campaigns it is very important to stay abreast of all of the channels but also to be aware that all channels do not fit the needs of all audiences. For instance Pinterest is primary geared toward a female demographic so if we are marketing services that are geared mostly toward men, this may not be the ideal platform to use.

Take a look at the Infographic below to give you an idea of HOW to target the proper digital marketing channel for your target audience.

Digital Marketing: Targeting Your Audience

I have a friend who has a friend that is in need of a little help.  She is a single mom that is barely making ends meet and my friend helps her when she can.  Her friend told her not to help her anymore, not because she was able to stand on her own two feet, but I think pride may have gotten in the way.  My friend asked me to be a “secret Santa” to her friend so that her friend could buy some groceries.  Are you still with me?

Sometimes we need a helping hand.  Sometimes we need several pairs of helping hands.  And you know what?  It’s okay to be on the receiving end of some much needed assistance when circumstances may not be going our way.  Feeling uncomfortable for a situation that is not wanted, is never anybody’s choice, but to not accept help from those who truly care is just plain stubborn!  And then there are those who may feel that now this person who has done something generous now expects something in return… and to them I say, “Get over it!”

We can all be an angel, right here, right now

Throughout my life, I was the one who always needed a little help to get me on my feet and moving forward.  I was the one that needed a place to stay, the one who took on jobs that came with a meal, the one who didn’t have a car to get me to that next job… and along the way, I have had many hands that have come to my rescue.  Did I feel awkward or embarrassed or that I could never pay these people back for their kindness?  Of course I did, but without their genuine concern for my well being, who knows what park bench I would’ve laid my head on or which morgue would’ve been my final destination.

Times have changed for me and my situation, and I am now able to be those helping hands to those whose lives might need a little extra TLC.  The sense of satisfaction fills my heart when I am able to make a positive difference in someone’s life.  I know how it feels to be on the receiving end of aid and support, now I am the giver and I wouldn’t want it any other way as this is how I pay it forward.  So please, if you are ever on the receiving end of true generosity, please accept it graciously and when you can, and you will one day… pay it forward.

Looking back, I am thankful for each memory that an angel appeared disguised as a caring “friend” who helped me make it through another day.  For these people have shaped my perspectives and to this day if I see or hear about a friend in need, my hands become helpers and under my T-shirt, I hide my wings.

Don’t you hate it when people use social media as their online dating source? How many of you have been approached by a total stranger who says, “I could get lost in your eyes” or “You have a captivating smile”… Gimme a break!

The sad thing is, there’s a sad lonely person out there that is eating every last word of this up. You would think, a smart, educated person would have the common sense to know a total stranger wouldn’t approach them with a line like “Your cool smile is firing at me and provoking me…” REALLY?!?! It happens all too often, women, and men too, are taken advantage of by these predators.

For me, – it seems to come in waves. It’s not like I do anything differently online. I didn’t suddenly start posting porn or even sexy photos or dirty jokes. Yet, you would think I did with the sudden onslaught of unwelcomed solicitations by a variety of men and women. Yes – that’s right – men and women.

It’s even gotten so bad this time, I’ve changed my security settings so people I don’t know can’t send me messages. That’s not usually a good thing for someone in the social media industry. I really try to be positive, treat people with respect, and be nice to everyone I meet. As my mother taught me growing up – treat people as you want to be treated. I’ve learned, however, if you do so online, you may receive unwelcomed and inappropriate advancements.

Don’t get me wrong – I still want to be friendly, treat people as I want to be treated. I just don’t want unwelcomed advances.

So readers: I have these questions for you. Do you have the same problems? if so, what do you do or what have you done? Do you have some sage advice for me? I’d really like to know!

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Public Shaming In Social Media: Is It A Form Of Bullying?